While I know the title says 1959 on the video, this footage was taken in 1963 to the best of our ability yo identify it. Why do we say that? The presence of the 1963 version of the Melrose Missile for starters and several of the cars you will see look way too “modern” to be from the late 1950s. Remember, dragster design and improvement was a very fluid process during these years and the cars of 1963 looked a heck of a lot different than the cars of 1959.
The engines were still out front but ideas on wheelbase, on chassis construction, on safety, and on engineering a quicker car had all changed since the late 1950s. Unlike the video we showed earlier this week that was shot from down track, this one was shot from an area near the starting line. As much as “The Patch” has changed over the years you can still immediately identify it as Bakersfield basically because of the lunar-like, featureless surface surrounding the place.
Art Malone won the top fuel crown at the race that year and during the course of the event, the first 190+ mph speed at the event was recoded by Dick Gross at 191 mph.
Great stuff…wonder what that twin-engined FED at 0:30 was…
Maybe John Peters’ Freight Train? The timing is right…
nethng wrong..I ws jus giving my opinion.Lastly I wud say kp continuing ur good work…v al luv u n grapevine I wish I cud meet u guys 4 real su&;lym#8230dseriousay GRAPEVINE rocks…tk cre